The San Diego Padres have fired Andy Green in the midst of a season-ending collapse.
General manager A.J. Preller announced the firing Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Padres played one of their worst games of the season in a 9-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Green was 274-366 since being hired before the 2016 season.
“I want to thank Andy for his tireless work and dedication to the Padres over the last four seasons,” Padres General Manager A.J. Preller said in a statement. “This was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we felt was necessary at this time to take our organization to the next level and expedite the process of bringing a championship to San Diego.”
"We have more talent and a better ball club than the way we are playing. We are trying to build toward something. Big picture-wise, we think we are in a good place." - A.J. Preller on managerial changes
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 21, 2019
Although the Padres were rebuilding, the season started with promise after the signing of slugger Manny Machado to a $300 million contract and top prospect Fernando Tatis Jr. was named to the opening day roster.
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San Diego was 45-45 at the All-Star break but collapsed in the second half. They’ve lost eight of their last nine games.
Bench coach Rod Barajas will serve as interim manager for the rest of the 2019 season.
Preller says the search for a new skipper would start immediately but Barajas will certainly earn an interview. He took the El Paso Chihuahuas to the Pacific Coast League playoffs three straight years, is bilingual, and is well-liked in the San Diego clubhouse.
NBC 7 Sports Wrap will update the story as more details come in.
